Capacity and performance analysis of suame

IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
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Volume: 02 Issue: 08 | Aug-2013, Available @ http://www.ijret.org 1
CAPACITY AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF SUAME
ROUNDABOUT, KUMASI-GHANA
E.K. Nyantakyi1
, J.K. Borkloe2
, P.A. Owusu3
1, 2, 3
Department of Civil Engineering, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi-Ghana
emmanuelkwesinyantakyi@yahoo.com, juliusborkloe1@yahoo.com, princeappiahus@gmail.com
Abstract
Roundabouts are an increasingly popular alternative to traffic signals for intersection control in the United States. Roundabouts have
a number of advantages over traffic signals depending on the conditions. They reduce the severity of crashes since head-on and right-
angle conflicts are nearly eliminated. They reduce through traffic speeds to provide a “calmer” roadway environment. They may
consume less land area since turn pocket lanes are not needed and also have lower energy and maintenance costs.
This study analyzed capacity and performance of Suame roundabout in Kumasi, Ghana. Traffic and geometric data were collected on
the field. The analysis revealed that Suame roundabout was operating at a level of service F, which represented worst conditions.
Signalized intersection with 5 approach lanes was proposed to control all the movements. Exclusive pedestrian phases were
proposed to protect pedestrians.
Index Terms: Performance analysis, Suame roundabout, Capacity analysis, Transportation network performance,
Mampong Road
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1. INTRODUCTION
As defined by the Federal Highway Administration [1],
modern roundabouts are circular intersections with specific
traffic control and design features. These features include
yield control at entry, channelized approaches, and geometric
approach curvature (deflection) to induce entering traffic to
slow down to the design speed of the circulatory roadway. The
crosswalks are set back from the intersection to minimize
conflicts with turning vehicles. Roundabouts have
characteristics that differentiate them from traffic circles,
rotaries and traffic calming circles. Roundabouts have a
proven safety record that is superior to other forms of traffic
control [2 - 4]. Mampong Road is a very busy road and
congested throughout the day. This can be due in part to the
many commercial and social facilities abutting the road,
attracting a lot of traffic. These include the Tafo cemetery,
which is the largest public cemetery in Kumasi, the Tafo
market and lorry station, which are located very close to the
road, the auto mechanic workshops and schools [5]. The Tafo
area is a densely populated area and most residents make
return trips to Kejetia and its surroundings to work, trade and
school. It is common to see vehicular queues moving at snail
pace between the Tafo market and Suame roundabout during
most times of the day [5]. Previous studies on the performance
of the roundabout attributed the congestion critical capacity
and abuse to motorists and/or pedestrians. As part of the
recommendations, the report proposed to improve upon the
signalization and capacity at Suame roundabout. They
recommended that if at-grade capacity cannot be obtained for
the minimum requirements, then a grade separation scheme
should be constructed at the roundabout. This could either be a
flyover or an interchange. The estimated cost of the project is
about US$ 708,000 [5].
These recommendations have not been implemented due to
lack of funds and therefore long queues and frequent delays
still persist during peak hour conditions at the roundabout. It is
in this light that this study was undertaken to analyze once
again the capacity and performance of Suame roundabout in
Kumasi to find out possible, cheaper and effective way of
resolving the traffic congestion problem in the interim or short
term basis.
2. METHODOLOGY
2.1 Site Selection and Description
Suame roundabout was selected based on its accident and
safety records in the past and also the levels of congestion
associated with the roundabout.
Suame roundabout has five (5) legs with two (2)
approach/entry lanes and two (2) exit lanes on each leg as
shown in Fig.1. It is the intersection of four (4) Principal
arterials, namely: Mampong road, Okomfo Anokye road,
Offinso road and the Western By-Pass road as shown in Fig. 1.

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Fig-1: Geometry of Suame Roundabout; Source: BCEOM and ACON Report (2004)
2.2 Study Area
2.2.1 Mampong Road
The Mampong road is a North-South principal arterial,
covering an urban (study) length of about 5 km, (from the
Tafo Market to the Kejetia traffic light). The road is paved for
the entire length and comprises both single carriageway,
(about 70 percent), and two-lane dual carriageway about (30
percent). The single carriage way is from Tafo Market to
about 250 meters from Suame roundabout, (about 3.5 km),
and the dual carriage way is from Suame roundabout to
Kejetia, (about 1.5 km). It is a very busy road, congested
throughout the day. This can be due to the many commercial
and social activities located along the road which in effect
creates a lot of traffic. These include the Tafo cemetery, which
is the largest public cemetery in Kumasi, the Tafo market and
lorry stations, which are located very close to the road, the
auto mechanic workshops and schools. The Tafo area is a
densely populated area and most residents make return trips to
Kejetia and its surroundings to work, trade and school. It is
common to see vehicular queues moving at snail pace between
the Tafo market and Suame roundabout during most times of
the day.
2.2.2 Offinso Road
The Offinso road is a principal arterial that runs in a North-
West/South-East direction. It covers an urban (study) length
of about 3.3 km, (from the Breman junction to Suame
roundabout). The road is paved for the entire length and
comprises both single carriageway, (about 22 percent), and
two-lane dual carriageway (about 78 percent). The single
carriage way is from Breman junction to Suame New road
intersection, (about 700 meters), and the dual carriage way is
from Suame New road intersection to Suame Roundabout
(about 2.6 km). The Offinso road is a very busy road that is
used as the main travelling route to the Northern parts of
Ghana. There is a lot of confusion, especially at the Suame
New Road intersection where North bound traffic (towards
Offinso), on the dual carriageway enters the single
carriageway. The continuation of the dual carriageway from
the Suame New Road intersection was still under construction
at the time of the studies. Commercial drivers were seen using
portions of the uncompleted dual carriageway within the
intersection as lorry station. Breman Road intersection is
normally controlled by Police personnel during the peak
periods to ensure smooth and safe flow of traffic.
2.2.3 Western Bypass
The Western By-Pass is a principal arterial that runs in an
East/West direction, (Suame Roundabout to Sofoline
Roundabout) and North/South direction, (Sofoline
Roundabout to Santasi Roundabout). It covers a distance of
about 5.3 km, (from Suame Roundabout to Santasi
Roundabout). The road is paved for the entire length and
comprises both single carriageway (about 63 percent), and
two-lane dual carriageway (about 37 percent). The single
carriage way is from Sofoline Roundabout to Santasi
Roundabout (about 3.4 km), and the dual carriage way is from
Suame Roundabout to Sofoline Roundabout, (about 1.9 km).
The road forms part of the Ring road.
2.2.4 Okomfo Anokye Road
The Okomfo Anokye Road is a principal arterial running
mostly in a North/South direction (Anloga Junction to Airport
Roundabout) and mostly in an East/West direction (Airport
roundabout to Suame Roundabout). It covers a distance of
about 6.4 km, (from Anloga Junction to Suame Roundabout).
The road is a paved 2-lane dual carriageway (4-lane 2-way),
Intersection Geometry

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over its entire stretch. The road forms part of the ring road
and it provides a major vital link between the Western By-
Pass, Mampong Road and Offinso Road and the 24th February
Road. This vital link serves as a bypass route, especially for
the North/South travellers of the country.
The intersections along this road are the main cause of
bottlenecks on the road. The intersection controls are not good
enough and driver indiscipline also compounds it. The
Adukrom intersection experiences illegal U-turns within the
intersection, which creates hazardous conditions for on-
coming traffic. There are lots of delay and conflicting
movements at the Asokore Mampong Road/Aboabo Road
intersection. This is due to the existing phasing plan/signal
timings. There is a lot of diverted traffic joining the Asokore
Mampong leg from Buokrom to avoid the congestion at the
Airport Roundabout. This makes the approach volume heavy
as against a small green time allotted to it.
2.3 Basic Theoretical Background
One of the oldest and most well known cases of the use of
simulation in theoretical research is the “car-following”
analysis based on the Generalized General Motors (GM)
models. In these models a differential equation governs the
movement of each vehicle in the platoon under analysis [6].
Car-following, like the intersection analysis, is one of the
basic equations of traffic flow theory and simulation, and the
analysis has been active after almost 40 years from the first
trials [7].The car-following theory is of significance in
microscopic traffic flow theory and has been widely applied in
traffic safety analysis and traffic simulation [8, 9]. There have
been many car-following models in the past 60 years, and the
models can be divided into two categories. One is developed
from the viewpoint of traffic engineering and the other is
based on statistical physics. From the perspective of traffic
engineers [10], car-following models can be classified as
stimulus-response models [11,12], safety distance models
[13], psycho-physical models [14], and artificial intelligence
models [15, 16].
The car-following theory is based on a key assumption that
vehicles will travel in the center line of a lane, which is
unrealistic, especially in developing countries. In these
countries, poor road conditions, irregular driving discipline,
unclear road markings, and different lane widths typically lead
to non-lane-based car-following driving [17]. Heterogeneous
traffic, characterized by diverse vehicles, changing
composition, lack of lane discipline, etc., results in a very
complex behavior and a non-lane-based driving in most Asian
countries [18]. Therefore, it is difficult for every vehicle to be
moving in the middle of the lane. Vehicles are positioned
laterally within their lanes, and the off central-line effect
results in lateral separations. However, to the limit of our
knowledge, the effect of lateral separation in the car-following
process has been ignored by the vast majority of models. A
few researchers have contributed efforts on this matter. [17]
first developed a car-following model with lateral discomfort.
He improved a stopping distance based approach that was
proposed by [13], and presented a new car-following model,
taking into account lateral friction between vehicles.
[19] proposed a non-lane-based car following model using a
modified full-velocity difference model. All the above models
have assumed that drivers are able to perceive distances,
speeds, and accelerations. However, car-following behavior is
a human process. It is difficult for a driver of the following
vehicle to perceive minor lateral separation distances, and
drivers may not have precise perception of speeds and
distances, not to mention accelerations.
2.3.1 Car-following Models
The logic used to determine when and how much a car
accelerates or decelerates is crucial to the accuracy of a
microscopic simulation model. Most simulation models use
variations on the GM model. Although it was developed in the
1950s and 1960s, it has remained the industry standard for
describing car-following behavior and continues to be verified
by empirical data. A variation on the GM model is the PITT
car-following model, which is utilized in FRESIM. The GM
family of models is perceived to be the most commonly used
in microscopic traffic simulation models and are, therefore,
the focus of this article.
2.3.1.1Generalized General Motors Models
The first GM model modeled car-following is a stimulus-
response process in which the following vehicle attempts to
maintain space headway. When the speed of a leading vehicle
decreases relative to the following vehicle, the following
vehicle reacts by decelerating. Conversely, the following
vehicle accelerates when the relative speed of the leading
vehicle increases. This process can be represented by the first
GM model, given equation 1.
( ) ( )









••
×=
−
••
tt FL
F F
χχχ α
Eq. (1)
Where:
Fχ
••
= acceleration of the following vehicle,
Fχ
•
= speed of the following vehicle,
Lχ
•
= speed of the leading vehicle,
αF = sensitivity of the following vehicle, and
t = time.

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2.3.1.2 PITT Car-following Model
FRESIM uses the PITT car-following model, which is
expressed in terms of desired space headway, shown in the
equation 2.
( ) ( ) ( )[ ]2
212 TVtVbkkVmLths −+++=
Eq. (2)
Where:
hs(t) = desired space headway at time t,
L = length of leading vehicle,
m = minimum car-following distance (PITT constant),
k = car-following sensitivity factor for following vehicle,
b = relative sensitivity constant,
v1(t) = speed of leading vehicle at time t, and
v2(t) = speed of following vehicle at time t.
Equation above can be solved for the following vehicle’s
acceleration, given by the equation 3.
( ) ( ) ( )( )[ ]
KTT
tVtVbkTKVmLyx
a
2
2
2
2
212
+
−−+−−−−×
=
Eq. (3)
Where:
a = the acceleration of the following vehicle,
T = the duration of the scanning interval,
x = position of the leading vehicle, and
y = position of the following vehicle.
2.4 Algorithm on Synchro/SimTraffic software
Simulation is basically a dynamic representation of some part
of the real world achieved by building a computer model and
moving it through time. The results obtained from any
simulation model will be as good as the model replicates the
specific real world characteristics of interest to the analyst.
Once a vehicle is assigned performance and driver
characteristics, its movement through the network is
determined by three primary algorithms:
2.4.1Car following
This algorithm determines behavior and distribution of
vehicles in traffic stream. Synchro varies headway with driver
type, speed and link geometry whereas SimTraffic generates
lower saturation flow rates.
2.4.2 Lane changing
This is always one of the most temperamental features of
simulation models. There are three types of lane-changing
which includes
• Mandatory lane changes (e.g., a lane is obstructed or
ends)
• Discretionary lane changes (e.g., passing)
• Positioning lane changes (e.g., putting themselves in the
correct lane in order to make a turn): There is heavy
queuing and this is a common problem for modeling
positioning lane changes. Vehicles often passed back of
queue before attempting lane change and their accuracy
relates to degree of saturation and number of access
points such as congested conditions which requires farther
look ahead and densely-spaced access (i.e. short
segments) which presents a problem.
2.4.3 Gap Acceptance
Gap acceptance affects driver behavior at unsignalized
intersections, driveways (e.g., right-in-right-out) and right-
turn-on-red (RTOR) movements. If default parameters are too
aggressive, vehicle delay will be underestimated and there is
serious implication for frontage roads. Conversely, parameters
which are too conservative may indicate need for a signal
when one isn’t necessary. Gap acceptance parameters are
network-wide in SimTraffic.
2.4.4 Turning movement counts
Data was collected manually at Suame roundabout because it
was difficult getting good elevation observer positions.
Turning movement counts were collected between 0600hours
and 1800 hours during the morning and evening peak periods
of the day at the roundabout. Two enumerators each were
positioned on each leg of the approach to the roundabout. The
number of vehicles entering and leaving any of the four
principal arterials such as Mampong road, Okomfo Anokye
road, Offinso road and the Western By-Pass road were
counted using the vehicle number plate method. All the
Turning movement counts were conducted at 15min intervals.
Fig. 2 below is a sketch of the approaches at Suame
roundabout.
Fig-2: Sketch of the approaches at Suame roundabout; Source:
from study

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2.4.5 Intersection Capacity analysis for Suame
Roundabout
The Department of Transport of the UK recommends a
research carried out by the Transport and Road Research
Laboratory (TRRL) that predicts an equation for the
determination of the capacities of roundabouts. The predictive
equation for entry capacity into the circulatory area was used
for entry capacity determination and is given by equation 4.
Qe = K*(F – fc Qc) Eq. (4)
Where
Qe is the entry flow into the circulatory area in passenger car
units per hour (pcu/hr)
Qc is the flow in the circulatory area in conflict with the entry
flow in passenger car units per hour (pcu/hr).
K = 1-0.00347(φ - 30) – 0.978(1/r – 0.05)
F = 303X2
fc = 0.21tD(1+0.2X2)
tD = 1+0.5/(1+M)
M = exp[(D – 60)/10]
X2 = v + (e – v)/(1+2S)
S = 1.6(e – v)/l′
e = entry width (metres) - measured from a point normal to the
rear kerbside
v = approach half-width: measured along a normal from a
point in the approach stream from any entry flare
l′ = average effective flare length: measured along a line
drawn at right angles from the widest point of the entry flare
S = sharpness of flare: indicates the rate at which extra width
is developed within the entry flare
D = inscribed circle diameter: the biggest circle that can be
inscribed within the junction
φ = entry angle: measures the conflict angle between entering
and circulating traffic
r = entry radius: indicates the radius of curvature of the
nearside kerb line on entry.
2.4.6 Intersection Capacity Analysis
The intersection Capacity analysis was performed using
intersection capacity utilization (ICU) to determine the Level
of service (LOS) at Suame roundabout. An initial analysis was
performed for the existing rotary intersection to determine its
performance. Once the ICU was fully calculated, the ICU LOS
for the roundabout was subsequently calculated based on the
criteria given by [20] Table -1.
Table -1: Intersection Capacity Utilization LOS and Grading Criteria
LOS ICU (%) Grading Criteria
A ≤ 55 Intersection has no congestion
B 55<ICU<64 Intersection has very little congestion
C 64<ICU<73 Intersection has no major congestion
D 73<ICU<82 Intersection normally has no congestion
E 82<ICU<91 Intersection is on the verge of congested conditions
F 91<ICU<100 Intersection is over capacity and likely experiences congestion periods of
15 to 60 consecutive minutes
G 1005<ICU<109 Intersection is 9% over capacity and experiences congestion periods of 60
to 120 consecutive minutes.
H >109% The intersection is 9% or greater over capacity and could experience
congestion periods of over 120 minutes per day.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Turning movement counts
Summary of total approach volume for each approach at
Suame roundabout is shown in Table 2.
Table -2: Summary of Total Approach volume at Suame Roundabout
Approaches Mampong Offinso Western
bypass
Kejetia Krofrom Total
Mampong 0 60 249 302 189 800
Offinso 69 0 392 653 501 1615
Western bypass 389 236 0 245 587 1457
Kejetia 550 493 340 0 101 1484
Krofrom 195 335 399 56 0 761
Total 1203 1064 1131 954 1189
Source: from study

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It can be deduced from Table 2 that 26.4% of vehicles moved
from Offinso to the other approaches at Suame roundabout.
This was followed by 24.3% of vehicles from Kejetia, 23.8%
of vehicles from Western bypass whiles 13.1% of vehicles
moved from Mampong. Krofrom had 12.4% of vehicles
moving to other approaches.
3.2 Capacity Analysis
Hourly flow rate for the approaches at Suame Roundabout is
shown in Table 3
Table -3: Capacity calculations for Roundabout
Approaches Hourly flow rate (veh/hr)
East Bound North (EBN), V1 60
East Bound West (EBW), V2 249
East Bound South (EBS), V3 302
East Bound South East (EBSE), V4 189
West Bound North (WBN), V5 236
West Bound East (WBE), V6 389
West Bound South (WBS), V7 245
West Bound South East (WBSE), V8 587
North Bound East (NBE), V9 69
North Bound West (NBW), V10 392
North Bound South (NBS), V11 653
North Bound South East (NBSE), V12 501
South Bound North (SBN), V13 493
South Bound West (SBW), V14 340
South Bound East (SBE), V15 550
South Bound South East (SBSE), V16 101
South East North (SEN), V17 335
South East West (SEW), V18 399
South East South (SES), V19 56
South East East (SEE), V20 195
Source: from study
From Table 3, it was realized that North Bound South (NBS),
V11 had the highest hourly flow rate of 653veh/hr at Suame
roundabout. This meant that 6533 vehicles traversed the north
bound south direction in an hour. Similarly, South East South
(SES), V19 had the lowest hourly flow rate of 56 veh/hr
meaning 56 vehicles traversed the East Bound North direction
within an hour.
Table - 4: Approach Flow at Suame Roundabout
Approach Flow (veh/hr) Approach Volume, Va
Va,E = V1+V2+V3+V4 800
Va,W = V5+V6+V7+V8 1457
Va,N = V9+V10+V11+V12 1615
Va,S = V13+V14+V15+V16 1484
Va,SE = V17+V18+V19+V20 985
Source: from study
Offinso approach (Va, N) had the highest approach flow of
1615veh/hr as shown in Table 4 at Suame roundabout. This
meant that 1615vehicles came from Offinso in an hour.
1484veh/hr came from Kejetia approach (Va,S), followed by

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Western bypass approach (Va,W) which had 1457veh/hr.
Krofrom approach (Va,SE) gave 985veh/hr and Mampong
approach gave a lowest approach volume of 800 veh/hr.
Table -5: Circulating flows at Suame Roundabout
Circulating Flow Flow, Qc (veh/hr) Flow in pcu/hr (x1.1) Factored Flow
(x1.125)
Vc,E = V1+V2+V3+V4 1859 2045 2301
Vc,W = V5+V6+V7+V8 1535 1689 1900
Vc,N = V9+V10+V11+V12 1770 1947 2190
Vc,S = V13+V14+V15+V16 1971 2168 2439
Vc,SE = V17+V18+V19+V20 2077 2285 2570
Krofrom approach (Vc,SE) had the highest circulating flow of
2077veh/hr at Suame roundabout, followed by Kejetia
approach (Vc,S) which gave a circulating flow of 1971veh/hr
as shown in Table 5. The Mampong approach (Vc, E) had a
circulating flow of 1859veh/hr with Western bypass (Vc, W)
having the lowest circulation flow of 1535veh/hr. Similarly, in
terms of flow in pcu, Krofrom approach gave the highest flow
of 2285pcu/hr and the Western bypass approach gave the least
flow of 1689pcu/hr.
Entry capacity, circulating flow and reserve capacities for each
approach at Suame roundabout is shown in Table 6.
Table -6: Entry capacity, circulating flow and reserve capacity for the approaches at Suame Roundabout
Parameters Mampong Western
bypass
Offinso Kejetia Krofrom
Entry width, e 7.7 7.7 7.7 7.7 7.7
Approach Half width, v 7 7 7 7 7
Average Effective Flare Length,
l’
15 15 15 15 15
Sharpness of Flare, S 0.07467 0.07467 0.07467 0.07467 0.07467
Inscribed Circle Diameter, D 78 78 78 78 78
Entry Angle, Φ 60 60 60 60 60
Entry Radius, r 60 60 60 60 60
M 6.04965 6.04965 6.04965 6.04965 6.04965
X2 7.60905 7.60905 7.60905 7.60905 7.60905
tD 1.07093 1.07093 1.07093 1.07093 1.07093
fc 0.56714 0.56714 0.56714 0.56714 0.56714
F 2305.5418 2305.5418 2305.5418 2305.5418 2305.5418
K 0.9285 0.9285 0.9285 0.9285 0.9285
Qc 2301 1900 2190 2439 2570
Qe 929 1140 987 856 787
Source: from study
From Table 6, it was realized that the Krofrom approach had
the highest circulatory flow of 2570pcu/hr at Suame
roundabout. This meant that 2570 of the flow in the
circulatory are was in conflict with the entry flow of 787.
Western bypass had the lowest circulatory flow of 1900pcu/hr.
This again meant that 1900 of the flow in the circulatory area
was in conflict with the entry flow of 1140.
The flow to capacity ratios of each approach at Suame
Roundabout is shown in Table 7.

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Table -7: Flow to Capacity ratios at Suame Roundabout
Approaches Circulating
flow, Qc
Entry
capacity
(pcu/hr)
Entry flow
(pcu/hr)
Reserve
capacity (%)
Flow to
capacity
ratio
Mampong 2301 929 800 14 0.86
Western bypass 1900 1140 1457 -28 1.28
Offinso 2190 987 1615 -64 1.64
Kejetia 2439 856 1484 -73 1.73
Krofrom 2570 787 985 -25 1.25
Source: from study
It was realized again from the capacity analysis that Suame
roundabout was at full capacity based on the overall volume to
capacity ratio as shown in Table 7. The above flow to
capacity ratios revealed that Suame roundabout was operating
at a level of service F. Level of service F described a forced-
flow operation at low speeds, where volumes were below
capacity. These conditions usually resulted from queues of
vehicles backing up a restriction downstream at the
roundabout. Speeds were reduced substantially and stoppages
occurred for short or long periods of time because of the
downstream congestion. It represented worst conditions.
3.3 Intersection Capacity Analysis
Performance of Suame roundabout after capacity analysis is
shown in Table 8
Table 8: Performance of Suame roundabout
Intersection Control Type v/c ratio ICU % ICU LOS
Suame Roundabout Roundabout 3.48 157.9 H
Source: from study
The result from Table 8 showed that Suame roundabout was
performing beyond capacity in that, the roundabout was 9% or
greater over capacity and was experiencing congestion over 2
hours per day.
3.4 Signalisation and Improvement of Suame
Roundabout
The proposed Geometry for Suame Roundabout is shown in
Fig.3.
Figure 3: Proposed Geometry for Suame Roundabout; Source: from study

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Signalized intersection with 5 approach lanes was proposed as
shown in Fig. 3. The Suame roundabout signalization was
basically to improve on vehicular movement. However,
signalization was proposed considering the non-availability of
funds. By critical and careful examination of the conditions,
signalization of the Suame roundabout was proposed to
control all the movements. The proposed geometric data in
Table 9 when implemented will improve upon the
performance of the intersection. The central island would be
channelized to aid motorists to move from one approach to the
other in order to prevent conflicts and enhance safety.
Pedestrian movements would be separated in order not to
interrupt the flow by considering the number of lanes at each
approach to the roundabout. A pedestrian footbridge was thus
proposed on all legs to the roundabout.
Table -9: Proposed Geometric Data for Suame Roundabout
Intersection: Suame Roundabout
Movement From
(Area)
To (Area) Veh/hr % of
Heavy
vehicles
No. of
Lanes
Lane
width
(m)
Storage
Length
(m)
EBL2 Offinso 306 7 1 4.0 180.0
EBL Western
Bypass
Mampong 404 26 1 3.3 180.0
EBT Krofrom 813 4 2 3.3
EBR Kejetia 264 1 4.8 100.0
WBL Kejetia 86 shared
WBT Krofrom Western bypass 738 3 2 3.3
WBR2 Mampong 396 34 1 4.8 250.0
WBR Offinso 627 3 1 3.3 250.
NWBL Western bypass 528 15 1 3.3 200.0
NWBT Kejetia Offinso 861 4 2 3.3
NWBR Mampong 988 21 2 3.3
NWBR2 Krofrom 143 14 shared
SEBL Krofrom 851 10 2 3.3 120.0
SEBL2 Offinso Mampong 93 13 shared
SEBT Kejetia 1070 4 2 3.3
SEBR Western bypass 624 2 1 4.8 120.0
SWBL2 Krofrom 335 8 1 4.0
SWBL Mampong Kejetia 613 6 2 3.3
SWBR2 Offinso 80 6 shared
SWBR Western bypass 356 13 1 3.3 180.0
Source: from study
CONCLUSIONS
Suame roundabout was performing at full capacity based on
the overall volume to capacity ratio. Suame Roundabout
should be signalized to control all the movements.
It is cheaper to implement the signalised intersection to control
and alleviate vehicular movement than implementing the
interchange. The central island should be channelized to
enable motorists move from one approach to the other in order
to prevent conflicts and enhance safety. A pedestrian
footbridge should be constructed on all legs to the roundabout.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge the management of
Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi headed by the Rector Prof.
N.N.N. Nsowah-Nuamah, for providing financial assistance
and also Department of Urban Roads (DUR), Kumasi for
giving information on Suame roundabout in the Kumasi
Metropolis. Several supports from staff of the Civil
Engineering Department, Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi are
well appreciated.
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AUTHOR PROFILES
Emmanuel Kwesi Nyantakyi is a PhD Student at the
Structural Geology Department at the School of Earth
Sciences, Yangtze University. He holds an MSc. in Road and
Transportation Engineering. His research areas are Oil and
Gas Storage and Transportation, Structural Geology, Seismic
Interpretation and Geochemistry. He is a Member of American
Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).
Julius Kwame Borkloe is a PhD Student at the Structural
Geology Department at the School of Earth Sciences, Yangtze
University. He holds an MSc. in Structural Engineering. His
research areas are Geophysics, Structural Geology, Seismic
Interpretation and Geochemistry. He is a Member of American
Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and Ghana
Institution of Engineers (GhIE)
Prince Appiah Owusu is a PhD student at the College of
Petroleum Engineering, Yangtze University. He holds an MSc
in Water Resources Engineering and Management. His
research areas are Hydraulics of Fluid Flow through porous
Media, Oil and Gas Reservoir Simulation, Reservoir
Petrophysics, Reservoir Engineering and Oil Field
Development. He is a Member of Society of Petroleum
Engineers (SPE).

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